Agricultural News

Just in time for Earth Day, (Saturday, April 22nd) the Beef Checkoff is bringing back The 30-Day Food Waste Challenge, to promote the fight against food waste by implementing small day-to-day changes while simultaneously sharing your journey on your personal blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social media channels.

The United States alone, wastes 30-40 percent of its food supply. If that were cut in half, the full supply chain sustainability would increase by 10 percent.

The Beef Checkoff is asking everyone, especially those in the agricultural and beef communities to join them on their mission to spread the word about reducing food waste in America and around the world by participating in the challenge this year. You can significantly help fight food waste by making small changes to your daily routine and sharing your experience to raise awareness in your communities.

Here's how it works…

The first few days of the challenge are allotted for you to assess your situation. Begin by evaluating your current food waste habits, writing down all the food you toss, learning more about food waste in the US and sharing your decision to take a stand against food waste on your social media channels, using #WasteLess.

Over the next 20 days, you’ll be challenged to take part in four separate areas:

1. Shop Your Kitchen: Take notes of what foods are currently stocking your cabinet and refrigerator shelves using your Kitchen Inventory to determine what ingredients you have, then meal plan and search for recipes to use up what you already have and waste less.

2. Get Creative with Leftovers: This week you’ll be challenged to use leftovers from Monday night’s dinner to make two entirely new meals throughout the week! Don’t worry, BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com is there to help you find inspiration and allow you to search for recipes by meat cut, preparation style and meal type.

3. Refrigerator Dive: Open and examine the expiration dates of all products in your fridge to determine their viability. Jot down a few notes on your Meal Planning Guide to plan meals and keep food from going to waste.

4. Re-Think Your Freezer Situation: This week you will be learning useful tips and tricks on how to freeze and store foods correctly. For example, store-bought meats need to be double-wrapped, since their clear packaging is not moisture-vapor resistant.

The final days of the challenge are designated for you to reassess, take notes and see if your waste habits have improved. Don’t forget to share your journey and overall challenge progress with friends on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using #WasteLess while encouraging them to sign up using this link.

For more information on how to get your journey started on the path of reducing food waste, visit the “Beef. Its’ What’s For Dinner” website throughout the month of April and arm yourself with the facts about food waste in America, tips and resources to help you waste less food and encourage others to join you.